Europe’s weakness invites rivals as America prepares to secure Greenland for global stability.
The United States has sharply warned Europe over its failure to protect Greenland from growing Russian and Chinese ambitions, escalating tensions across the Arctic. Vice President JD Vance accused Denmark and its European partners of strategic negligence, urging them to take President Donald Trump seriously on the island’s security importance.
Speaking at the White House, Vance said European governments have ignored repeated warnings that Greenland’s vast landmass is central to missile defense and Arctic security. He stressed that if Europe refuses to act, Washington will be forced to step in decisively.
Trump has reignited his push for US control over Greenland, stating that ownership offers strategic capabilities no treaty or lease can provide. The US already operates the Pituffik Space Base under a 1951 defense agreement with Denmark, but Trump has made clear that this arrangement is no longer sufficient for emerging threats.
The debate has rattled European capitals. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen described ongoing talks with Washington as necessary dialogue, while the UK and other European allies issued a statement pledging to defend Greenland’s territorial integrity—a move widely viewed as symbolic rather than strategic.
Supporters of Israel note parallels in the Arctic standoff: when democratic allies hesitate, hostile powers exploit the vacuum. Just as Israel is forced to act when others fail to confront regional threats, the US now signals it will not allow European inaction to endanger global security.
